Introduction: For a very long time I have attended a weekly Bible
study group. Those groups change over the years. Sometimes I am in
charge, and sometimes I am not. (I prefer it when I’m not in charge.)
Recently, I told the friend hosting our current Bible study that we
might have three new people show up that night. Turned out, none of
them showed up. Why? Unlike the current members of the group,
attending has not become a habit. Have you noticed that you can make
new habits that improve your life? Recently, I’ve created the habit
of going to the gym. What habits would you like to create? What
habits does the Bible tell us to adopt? Let’s dive into our study of
the Bible and find out!
- Love Habit
- Read Ephesians 5:1-2. If you were asked if you loved God
and loved your co-workers, what would you say? (For many
years I was concerned that I did not love God, and I
certainly knew I did not love most of the people I knew –
unless they were family.) - How you define love is important here. How would you
describe love? (I think of it as an emotional, often
romantic feeling. Although today I have an emotional
love of God, I don’t think emotion begins to describe
what the Bible has in mind when it tells us to “walk
in the way of love.”) - Re-read Ephesians 5:2. How is loved described? (As self-sacrifice.)
- When you are talking to someone, tell me which is of
more interest to you: - Learning more about the other person; or,
- Telling something about yourself that relates
to the subject and puts you in a good light?
(The former Dean of my law school, Jeffrey
Brauch, has a wonderful habit. Whenever I
listen to him speak with a student, he always
intently listens and asks questions. He does
the same when talking with me. That taught me a
valuable habit of love – preferring to focus in
conversations on others rather than myself.) - Read Ephesians 5:3-4. Does this mean that flirting and
appearing to have money are wrong? What is wrong with an
occasional “mature” joke? - What is the suggested alternative to this kind of
talk? (Thankfulness! Giving thanks to God.) - Read Ephesians 5:5. Why is this arguably innocent talk a
problem? (The problem is that it reflects a heart of
immorality, impurity and love of money. What we say
generally reflects what we think. Our speech is a window
into our heart.) - What does the Bible say is the root problem? (That
“person is an idolater.”) - How is that true? I don’t know a single person
who makes an idol and then bows down and
worships it. (Be honest. Isn’t all of this kind
of talk selfish is some way? The coarse joke is
generally at the expense of someone else – and
makes you look smart, right? Flirting, would
you admit, strengthens your relationship (or
your ego) at the expense of the person’s
spouse? Talk about your wealth tells others you
are better than they are. What does all of this
get you? It pumps up your image of yourself!
You worship yourself.) - Can you see the thread of logic that runs
through all of this? (The theme is to exchange
the habit of love for yourself for concern for
others. Thankfulness focuses your mind on the
kindness of others.) - What can you do to break that habit and replace
it with unselfish talk? (We need to be alert to
the problem, and ask the Holy Spirit to change
our hearts.) - Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-4. How would you rate the
background of these people? (They had many spiritual
advantages.) - Are they like us?
- Read 1 Corinthians 10:5. What is the problem? (Despite
these spiritual advantages, they displeased God and they
died.) - Read 1 Corinthians 10:6. Why is Paul reciting this
history? (He wants us to learn a lesson about setting our
heart on evil things.) - Is there a connection between our habits and setting
our hearts? (Yes. We just discussed becoming aware of
the issue of our habits, and then asking the Holy
Spirit to change our heart.) - Read 1 Corinthians 10:7-11. What does grumbling have in
common with sexual immorality and idol worship? (It is the
same thing we have been discussing. Grumbling arises from
a focus on yourself.) - Trust Habit
- Read Matthew 6:28. What would you answer? (Worry is often
about how you appear to others. No one wants to be
embarrassed.) - Read Matthew 6:29-30. What habit is Jesus encouraging us
to adopt? (The habit of trusting God and not worrying.) - Read Matthew 6:31-33. What is the first priority for
pagans? (Running after clothes, food, drink and things.) - What should be our first priority? (Seeking God’s
kingdom and His righteousness. God gives us all of
these “things” the pagans seek as a bonus!) - Let’s look at this in terms of habits. What is the
first thing you think about in the morning? Is it
what you need to do for work? What you need to do to
amuse yourself? Money? - How would your life be different if your first
thoughts in the morning were about how you
could improve your walk with God? What you
could do to advance the Kingdom of God? - Read James 4:13-14. How would you compare this to the
pagans we just read about who worry all the time about
getting things? (This is somewhat different. These are
people who plan the future.) - Is there anything wrong with planning? (Planning
without God being in the picture is the problem. Our
personal planning has the serious problem that we,
unlike God, cannot predict the future.) - Read James 4:15. What should be at the center of all of
our plans? (God’s will! We should not only develop the
habit of not worrying, we should develop the habit of
putting God at the center of our plans.) - Mind Habits
- Read Philippians 4:6. Does this seem to be a summary of
our discussion so far? - Read Philippians 4:7. What is the result of putting in
place these habits? (Peace from God. Peace that guards our
hearts and minds. Peace that others do not understand.) - Read Philippians 4:8. Consider testing your mental habits
against what we have been learning. When you think about
yesterday, did your mind take in things that were right,
pure, lovely and admirable? (Many of us need better mental
habits. I recall some friends talking about movies they
had seen or wanted to see. My immediate thought was that
they were boring – and then I felt guilty because these
were noble, pure and lovely movies.) - What do you think it means to focus your mind on what
is “true?” How about “admirable?” “Praiseworthy?”
(How much of your thinking is on routine matters?
How much of your thinking is spent on things that
don’t matter – or, if they matter, could get you into
trouble? This suggests that we develop the habit of
thinking “great” thoughts. Thoughts about how you
might apply God’s word to your job, your family
relationships, politics, economics, your church, and
your life.) - Friend, do your habits need renovation? If so, invite the
Holy Spirit, right now, to guide your mind and your words
into a better set of habits! - Next week: The Results of Stewardship.
